Second-round action at the Shanghai Masters wraps up on Saturday, when Frances Tiafoe begins his fortnight against Lorenzo Sonego. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Arthur Fils are also taking the court.
(10) Frances Tiafoe vs. Lorenzo Sonego
Tiafoe and Sonego will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Saturday. Sonego leads the head-to-head series 2-1 following a 6-3, 6-4 victory earlier this season at the Miami Masters. They split their first two encounters; Tiafoe prevailed 6-4, 6-4 at the Paris Masters last fall before Sonego got the job done for Italy immediately thereafter via a 6-3, 7-6(7) decision in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
Sonego may not be on fire at the moment, but he should have a good chance at pulling off another upset. The world No. 59 already has a match under his belt in Shanghai, having defeated qualifier Philip Sekulic 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday. After losing to fellow American Ben Shelton in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, Tiafoe compiled an 0-2 record as his country was eliminated in the Davis Cup group stage. Tiafoe has admittedly lost interest when the American hard-court swing ends and he isn’t in realistic Nitto ATP Finals contention, so motivation could be lacking. This is a great opportunity for Sonego.
Pick: Sonego in 3
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Arthur Fils vs. (24) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Davidovich Fokina and Fils will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the third time this season. Both of their previous meetings have gone the way of Davidovich Fokina; 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the French Open first round and 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-2 in the Wimbledon first round.
Davidovich Fokina’s game appears to be in good shape for the stretch run of the 2023 campaign. The 25th-ranked Spaniard reached the last 32 at the U.S. Open, played three Davis Cup singles matches (1-2 record), and took a three-set loss to Alexander Zverev last week in the Beijing second round. But it won’t be easy against Fils, who trounced Pavel Kotov 6-1, 6-4 in his Shanghai opener. That was a much-needed result for the 19-year-old, who had been 1-5 in his previous six matches. Fils won’t go away without a fight, but Davidovich Fokina will likely complete the 2023 surface sweep against the Frenchman.
Pick: Davidovich Fokina in 3
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